After her health started deteriorating, Steve Schatzberg moved his 87-year-old mother out of her Virginia home and into a nearby senior living facility. “Once she was there for three or four months, Mom told me she just didn’t like it there. It was too institutional. That’s when I decided to move her to Florida where she could be closer to me, and hopefully be able to live where she would be happier.”

Steve started his search for the right senior living community at A Place for Mom®. “They gave me four or five options in the Aventura area, including The Sterling. I visited all of them and decided that I liked everything that The Sterling had to offer the best,” he said. “Plus, it’s only about two minutes from my house. But that wasn’t my primary reason for choosing The Sterling — it was more like the icing on the cake.”

Because she was in better health and could be more independent when she first moved in, Shirley began her life at The Sterling in the assisted living community. Although her health still remains generally good, in the past few years, as she has gotten into her 90’s, Shirley has fallen several times — breaking one hip and then the other — and has become dependent on a wheelchair for her mobility. Around this same time, her dementia symptoms became more advanced, an indication that she needed to move into memory care. Through it all, Shirley’s relationship with the aides who care for her has remained constant. “I love the aides she has,” Steve said. “One of them has been especially fantastic in looking out for her. She always alerts me about supplies and other things I need to bring for Mom. She couldn’t be in better hands, in my opinion.”

Steve believes those hands are still providing the excellent care he’s come to expect, even with the challenges of the pandemic. “I’ve been very pleased with the safety protocols and all the care they’ve been taking during COVID-19. Since March, one or two residents and staff have been diagnosed with the virus, but they were able to effectively isolate people so nothing spread in the community,” he said. “And they’ve set things up so I can easily FaceTime with Mom two or three times a week. I have to say that I can’t think of anything they’re not doing that I would like them to be doing. They’re doing it all. They really are.”